London City Airport has completed a major upgrade to its departure lounge, which provides a new look and feel throughout and includes two new restaurants, a new local independent cafe and bar, a duty-free expansion, a new flagship WHSmith and additional washrooms.
New restaurants and cafe at London City Airport
The upgrade, supported by SSP, Lagardère Travel Retail, WHSmith and Boots, follows a significant investment to improve its passenger experience. The upgrade has also increased seating in the departure lounge by 30%, with more access to charging stations, and features a new flagship WHSmith store and Aelia Duty Free Store by Lagardère Travel Retail. Both stores boast an “expanded and distinctively London product range”, the airport said.
As part of London City’s commitment to celebrating and supporting local businesses, it has worked with partners to showcase a selection of east London and British brands, including fragrance and lifestyle brand Earl of East, the East London Liquor Company, Little Bird London Dry Gin and the London Honey Company.
SSP’s new restaurant, Hithes, is a hybrid of city pub dining and a modern London brasserie that, the airport says, caters to all passengers’ tastes and offers dishes from the four corners of the city. These include a Brick Lane chicken thali, the double-decker burger, fish and chips and the Soho salad, supported by a curated drinks menu of wines, beers, soft drinks and cocktails such as the gin-based London Mule, many of which feature local brands from across the capital.
The airport has also worked with SSP to introduce Juniper, a new premium bar and restaurant providing an additional 80 covers, offering locally sourced produce and featuring Paul Rhodes’ bakery, Forman’s salmon, local cheeses and a fantastic selection of local spirits, Jeroboams’ fine wines and craft beers.
Enhanced passenger experience
Alison FitzGerald, CEO of London City Airport, commented, “We are delighted to unveil our upgraded departure lounge, which builds on our unrivaled customer experience and commitment to providing one of London’s best passenger experiences. Over the last couple of years, we have taken the opportunity to redevelop our entire proposition, including the rollout of cutting-edge security scanners and now the offer of new restaurants and shopping experiences that celebrate some of the leading brands in our neighborhood of east London.”
Cathy Granby, business development director for SSP UK and Ireland, said, “Hithes is an exciting new concept for us, developed to fuse old and new London at this rapidly expanding airport. It joins SSP’s existing Juniper and Soul + Grain outlets, providing more choice and bespoke menus for passengers at this busy airport.”
Peter Newbould, CEO of Lagardère Travel Retail UK & Ireland, added, “This transformation was meticulously crafted to meet the unique character and needs of London City. A key feature of the store is the ‘Sense of Place’ area, which allows passengers to engage with local brands, offering a distinctive and memorable shopping experience.”
In related news, the UK government recently approved London City Airport’s plans to increase its annual passenger cap from 6.5 million to 9 million passengers and to fly three extra flights in the first half hour of operations during the week. Click here to read the full story.